I've seen all the videos and I think Dixon is the better rb. This isn't to disparage Fournette because he's impressive but I think Kenneth Dixon is the best back in the state in 2015. Thoughts?
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I've seen all the videos and I think Dixon is the better rb. This isn't to disparage Fournette because he's impressive but I think Kenneth Dixon is the best back in the state in 2015. Thoughts?
Who is Fournette?
Right now, based off last year's performance and last year's game film, I think Dixon is the better running back. That said, I haven't seen the leap Fournette has made during the offseason. If he fulfills his massive potential, I'm not sure there are three backs in the country who will be better than Fournette this year. That said, I sure hope Dixon has the best season of any back in the nation!
This is a preemptive assertion. I told you guys that if our players begin to get more exposure up here, they will not play nice. There is already a generated scoff because our db's are more highly regarded going into the season than those at "DBU". If our rb steals the limelight, it will get ugly. That's the kind of thing that hurts their instate strangle hold, and they have to maintain the assumption that they get the best players.
No, at this point north la media is not respected by LSU. They have little regard for their fans up here because they don't have to. But if north la's attention is directed elsewhere LSU will show up liked hot girl crush would if her admirer was no longer as interested.....
Agreed. Dude was tabbed as the next Adrian Peterson coming out of high school last year along with being the #1 recruit in the nation. Any average college football fan should know who he is.
Dixon is more accomplished at this time, but Fournette has as much potential as any back in college football. You put him in our offense and he produces Dixon's numbers or better. Just sayin.
Dixon for Heisman! Anything less would be remiss. I know we don't have the money of the power 5 but we are on tv for every game next year. Let's crank it up!
Dixon for Heisman!!!!
Dixon is better now because of experience, vision, intangibles, etc but there are probably no backs in college football with Fournette's athleticism. His top-end spend is freakish for a back with a 230 pound frame. I love Kenneth Dixon to death, but remember he has two more years of college football playing time under his belt compared to Fournette's one. Fournette screams first round talent and will be a Heisman contender the next few years. Both are remarkable backs and fun for any fan to watch.
Why compare them? They are totally different backs. Give me Dixon, but if we ran a more power-based offense it's fournette. He's Jeremy hill but better..and we all saw what hill did in the NFL last year.
If you don't know who fournette is, you lose all credibility in any college football discussion.
Dixon could be in the heisman race with a one loss season.
I once knew who he was..... Once he signed with the evil empire, he was dead to me. ;)
I agree with Fournette's declaration that Nick Chubb is the best running back. :)
LOSE credibility? Never knew I had any.:D
You've got me here. I am TECH FAN!! Really don't follow college football any more at all: didn't see even 5 minutes of any tv game the past two years except for Tech or Dak Prescott with Mississippi State. The whole IBowl thing ruined what was left of my interest in college football. I just read the scores. But I do make a 100 mile round trip to Ruston probably 40 times a year for football, basketball, related events, plus an annual road trip to places like Illinois, Kansas, Miss. State.
I am in the group with many other Tech fans. We either don't know who Fournette is, or we haven't seen him play enough to compare him to our tremendous running back, Kenneth Dixon.
I don't think experience is the key variable when evaluating college running backs. I watched every game Fournette played last year, and I don't think he's as good as Dixon. Speaking of athleticism, there is a video of Dixon doing a 360dunk (at 5'10). Granted Fournette has faster top end speed, I doubt he can do that.
I make comparisons between the two because I think Dixon deserves more media attention in north Louisiana than Fournette does. Like I've said before, LSU intends to promote the assumption that they have the best players in the state. They like to leverage north la recruits with that assumption. If it is exposed as untrue (in certain positions), it could hurt their strangle hold.
I'm really surprised we don't have more college football fans on this board. I'm not saying anyone is wrong for how they approach things. If you want to just be a Tech fan, that's your prerogative. I just thought we had more folks who followed all of college football.
Many of those fans maintain LSU players are all a higher level than LaTech's. Sometimes that assumption should be challenged (when warranted). I think Dixon is better than Fournette. I think Barnes is better than White. I think Woods is better than Mills. And I think Butler is better than any of LSU's defensive tackles. It's not because I'm some kind of Tech homer, I have objective reasons for thinking this way. But the very idea I could suggest such a thing is offensive to many LSU fans. That's why I think these types of discussions are important.
I don't understand the attitude that people who know what's going on outside of Ruston are somehow "on their wagon." It's OK to follow a sport beyond Louisiana Tech. I don't root for LSU. In fact, most of the time I root against LSU. (The other times I'm indifferent.) But there's a great big college football world that happens outside of Ruston, and it's OK to know what's going on.
Leonard Fournette appeared to be explosive but not elusive. The few games I saw him in he was not breaking many tackles and seemed to run very stiff.
Apparently ignorance of college football is a virtue on BBB. The guy was the #1 running back recruit in the country for the 2014 class. I have a hard time believing that any die hard football fan is oblivious to college football recruiting, particularly the stud recruits sitting in our own state.
I ain't never hearda nobody 'cept Tek...
Yeah, I agree 100%. If you are a die-hard Tech fan, I think all the good high school athletes, especially in the state, would be on your radar screen in hopes that they would show an interest in signing with Tech. I know one Tech fan that has had personal relationships with high school athletes and shows interest/facilitates in them coming to Tech. I think knowing and encouraging athletes to come here is a good thing rather than having a "who's that?", they're an outsider mentality before they sign.
I watched LSU more when Saban was there. They are boring as hell with Les Miles. Their offense last year reminded me of Tech's 2013 offense, so I couldn't watch it. I did see some highlights of Fournette and he is a load. Dixon runs harder and plays with more passion, imo.
Fournette had a few good games and ended the season with a remarkable performance in their bowl game against Notre Dame. He is definitely a load and has great speed once he gets moving. I think Dixon has a larger arsenal in terms of receiving and pass protection. Many will say that Fournette has a higher ceiling than Dixon. I dispute that based on Dixon's versatility. Fournette runs with speed and power. Dixon runs with violence and a nose for the endzone.
Most definitely makes a difference. But, as the bowl season revealed, the SEC defenses were not as good as advertised last year. Sure, they were better than CUSA defenses though. For Dixon to prove to be better, he will need to exceed expectations and Fournette would have to not perform at the level many are predicting. I think both of these things will occur in 2015.
You all need to stop hijacking this thread. It's supposed to be about formulating a plan, working as a team and successfully promoting Dixon for Heisman! Not that his performance doesn't already speak volumes.
I'm going to preface this by saying I LOVE KD. The kid is the best RB I've ever played with and I think he's top 5 in the country no doubt. Definitely will go down #1 in yards rushing and many other categories and will be in the La Tech Hall of Fame one day.
But I don't think Tech should waste our time with a Heisman campaign. We all know how political/media driven the Heisman is and ESPN would NEVER even let a guy from LA Tech sit in the room with the rest of those guys from Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, etc. Its also going to be really hard to try and push for Heisman when Kenneth didn't even get 1st team all conference last year (which was a total sham btw and I think it was league driven and had a lot to do with UAB losing football).
I think if Tech wants to start a campaign for him, we need to do an all out onslaught campaign for the Doak Walker, NO DOUBT. He has a legit shot to win that award if he rushes for 1500+ and 20+ total TD's. He's an extremely accomplished RB and his stats alone will gain him some traction in the early part of the season, and he also has a recognizable name now since he's played for 3 years already.
I think a "Dixon for Heisman" campaign is tantamount to a Doak Walker campaign. Isn't Dixon poised to challenge a few NCAA rushing/td records? If he does and we have a decent season as a team, he might get into the national conversation. I remember DeAngelo Williams being discussed as a Heisman candidate (he finished 2nd to Reggie Bush for Doak Walker).....
Rattay got pretty close in 1999:
1. Ron Dayne
2. Joe Hamilton
3. Michael Vick
4. Drew Brees
5. Chad Pennington
6. Peter Warrick
7. Shaun Alexander
8. Thomas Jones
9. LaVar Arrington
10. Tim Rattay
If Tech PR personnel can manage both heisman and doak, then do it. Otherwise invest the time/effort in the Dixon-Doak push, bc the Heisman is just a glorified OBrien (QB) Award these days. Gordon barely sniffed the Heisman with 2500+ yards rushing last year.
At the very least, Tech cannot drop the ball on this one. Dixon for Doak Walker must be sufficiently hyped and pushed.
He's gotta run for 500 yds against moo state and k state for people to give him a thought
D Will ran for 1948 as a junior and finished second for doak walker the next season (after 1964 yds rushing).. Both seasons over 6ypc. Dixon is good but let's not compare him to that. One could say Memphis was playing a tougher schedule than we are right now, too.
No doubt, he'll have to show out against those teams to be recognized. I referenced Williams in response to Warner because he was a rb from a less prestigious conference and got into the national conversation for Heisman. I don't think their schedule was tougher than ours his senior season.
I'm saying that to hype Dixon for Heisman basically accomplishes the same end for Doak Walker. I don't think I've ever heard of a campaign to promote a rb for the Doak and not the Heisman. If we're promoting him as the best rb in the country (Doak Walker), then he deserves to be in the conversation for Heisman--and, obviously, if he is in the Heisman conversation, he's a Doak Walker candidate.
One of the best places to begin the conversation about Dixon being a possible Heisman and Doak Walker candidate is the 2015 Tech football media guide. If pictures of him aren't prominently displayed and if his name isn't mentioned as a possible Heisman and Doak Walker candidate, that is a HUGE fail.
He is. In my opinion, it's great for a player to be in "the discussion" of winning the Heisman even if he doesn't have much of a chance of getting it. It brings a lot of notoriety to the player and the school. Also, winning the Heisman will get you the "Heisman curse". :D
http://www.smu.edu/DoakWalkerAward/Candidates
In seriousness, Dixon's game is more developed via experience (remember KD didn't have a ton of receptions his first couple of years at Tech). His receiving game really blossomed last year. I think he is poised for a monster year. I think Fournette will be a beastly runner, but who knows about his receiving skills at this point or blocking skills. That is a hard gap for any kid out of high school to make up (blitz protection and catching out of the backfield). What I do know is that Fournette is built like AP and is fast, and those are two things you just cant teach. I think KD will have the better year, but Fournette has some huge upside (especially in an SEC that doesn't dominate on D like it used to).
We did a Biletnekoff only campaign for Quinton my senior year. I think at a smaller school like us, you should push for the position award; and then Heisman hype will come on it's own if it's deserved. But pushing hard for that position award is important because that's the one that anybody from any school actually has a shot at winning.
Plus if you push for Heisman first at a school like us, people give you this halfway smirk like "really? You think you have a shot at the Heisman" and I think you lose respect if you don't essentially double people's expectations for the season after making that "bold" of a statement. You've gotta essentially bow to these media type's self perceived "intelligence" and "way of doing things" to get anywhere on a national award like that. Basically have to suck up to them.
Fournette's running style reminds me a lot of former Oklahoma RB Marcus Dupree. Dupree was 6-3, 230 (bigger than Fournette's 6-1,230), and as Barry Switzer said, "could run over people, around people or through people". He was very fast, and very strong. But he had trouble keeping his weight down and Switzer criticized him often for being out of shape. Dupree left Oklahoma after competing in the Texas game his sophomore year, and was essentially never heard from again....at least not until ESPN did their "30 For 30" piece on him recently.
Will Fournette "burn out" like Marcus Dupree did? Obviously we don't know, but Fournette's running style is very similar, and could eventually make him susceptible to injury IMO.
By the way, Fournette's freshman season was not impressive...at least not until his bowl game performance against Notre Dame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Fournette
Dixon could finish his career as the all time NCAA leader in td's (rushing). I think he has already broken Tech rushing and td record. I do understand what you're saying when smaller schools tout their guy for Heisman knowing good and well he has no chance. It is embarrassing. That said, Dixon is in rare air. I've heard Fournette's name brought up in Heisman talks a few times. I think if people are going to throw his name out there preseason, it wouldn't hurt to throw Dixon's name out there. Dixon > Fournette
I am pretty sure every team in the P5 would be afraid of Dixon if he was in their conference. Same for Fournette. I am confident that Dixon will have a great season in an offense that is even more potent than last year. He will shine. Awards be damned. He is a team guy by all accounts. I bet a CUSA ring and a bowl win will work for him. Awards will be icing.
I doubt if Fournette improves much from his freshman to his senior year. Afterall, he was a five-star recruit and thinks he's at the top of his game. And, Miles will play him anyway since he was highly recruited.
You must have a really short memory. Do you remember a QB out of Texas that was the #1 Dual-threat QB in the nation and played 4 years at LSU and did absolutely nothing? I believe his last name was Shepherd. A lot of these players like Fournette come out of high school thinking they are the greatest and never get better. It happens a lot of times.
We are fortunate to have some pretty good back ups to Dixin, if we can keep him some fresh legs until the 4th when the other side defense is
pretty much whipped.. that is when Dixin is going to shine!
There are some records nationally that need to read...
Dixin-LaTech, most rushing yards ever...
Dixin-LaTech, most TD's scored ever...
You should just stop now. Shepard wasn't utilized by LSU. It wasn't a player issue. They had tons of receivers and speed and he got lost. He was never projected by LSU to play QB.
Arkansas had a stellar defense last season.
You should watch more football before you assume that a highly recruited guy is done working hard.
I remember Russell Shepard very clearly. He was a great athlete, but not a QB and not a great football player. He was a good enough athlete that he's made it three years in the NFL, so I wouldn't call him a complete bust (he most certainly was a bust when you look at his college production). That said, Russell Shepard never showed anything close to what Leonard Fournette showed last year.
I mean, the kid rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman in the SEC. He scored 11 touchdowns. Yes, he was a no-show against Arkansas. But he only got five touches, and the rest of the offense didn't show up either. Even with that game factored in, Fournette averaged 98 yards per game over his final five games. He had two other games where he rushed for over 100 yards.
All across the country, including in Ruston, fans are super excited when a freshman shows even glimpses of being productive. Guys like Dixon and Fournette don't come along very often. They were both ready to contribute at a high level immediately. Sure, Fournette struggled at times with consistency. Many freshmen do, even the best of the best. Ryan Moats rushed for 38 yards as a freshman, and we all know what he did the next two years in Ruston. Some of you guys on here, especially you Don, are acting as if it's out of the realm of possibility that Leonard Fournette might actually improve during the offseason before his sophomore year.
Whether or not Leonard Fournette is a great running back (he is) has nothing to do with whether or not Kenneth Dixon is a great running back. Sure, it's fun to talk about them and debate which one is better, but here's a newsflash for you: they both can be better this year than they were last year. It's not like their productivity is tied together, and if Fournette gets 58% better, than means Dixon must be 58% worse.
Who knows if Leonard Fournette will ever reach his true ability. Les Miles has a funny history with RBs, just like he does with QBs. But from a physical talent standpoint, Fournette is the best running back to attend LSU in almost two decades, and the Tigers have had a pretty good stable of backs through the years. He'll likely be one of the top running backs in the country this year. You know what? That's OK, because it has absolutely nothing to do with what will happen in Ruston this fall!
Yep, I agree. They are both fantastic backs and it's almost useless to make comparisons of players that play in different conferences, playing against different defenses, used in different ways, etc. If I am not mistaken, both of them have nearly identical, career 5.5 yards per carry.
I agree the success of Fournette doesn't imply anything about Dixon nor vice-versa. The reason I compared the two is to challenge assumptions--assumptions that are propagated in order to maintain the upper hand. Do y'all remember what Dykes said when he was asked how his team was able to play with SEC teams (specifically--they were talking about Miss State). Dykes basically said it was because our players were as good as their's. Dan Mullen felt the need to respond to that assertion. Why?
What does it mean in terms of recruiting if Louisiana Tech has the best running back in the state of Louisiana? What if there isn't a DL on LSU's roster better than Vernon Butler? What if Barnes is better than White? What if Woods is better than Mills? That doesn't take anything away from Fournette or White or Mills--all of whom are very good players.
But if those assertions are made, there will be a reaction.
Most difficult for the opponent to stop--by virtue of power, speed, creativity, agility, heart, endurance, etc.,.....
Makes those around him better--by virtue of blocking, decoying, encouraging, modeling, etc.,...
Scores touchdowns/gets first downs--by any means....
I suppose that actions contrary to the aforementioned things--fumbling, quitting, penalties, half-assing, etc.,... should be considered as well.
Sheperd's high school highlight videos are some of the most impressive I've seen. I remember thinking LSU was crazy for moving him to receiver. Maybe he would've been a great QB at a smaller school, who knows. He has stuck in the NFL so like professor implied, his lack of production in college was probably a result of incompetent offensive coaching.
As for Dixon, I expect him to have monster numbers this year, assuming he stays healthy. If he cleans up the fumbles he might be a 2nd-3rd draft pick. But Fournette will probably be drafted higher regardless of college production.
I saw Fornette play against Arkansas. He has a stand-up-straight running style that will only work against players that are a lot smaller than him like they were in high school. He has no lateral movement at all, so, he needs a big hole to run through. You should have watched the Arkansas game and you would have seen what I mean.